Redskins Locker Room

JC said something last night to Adam Schefter that was purely out of character for him and made me take another look at the past 2 weeks. Schefter asked him if he was concerned about the offense, JC replied with essentially 'Man, we're just ready for the regular season to begin.' If you think about it, it's been almost 7 weeks of practicing and 5 meaningless games, how difficult is it to get mentally 'checked in' for something you know has virtually no meaning?

The goal of most if not all NFL teams is to emerge from the preseason with no major injuries that impact your teams season, we've done that. The Giants lost Osi, the Eagles lost Kevin Curtis, we've been quite fortunate that Taylor should play (at least some) on next Thursday.

It's not excusing the pathetic performance of the offense last week or the 7 plays they had this week, but can we leave the seal on the panic button until at least Week 2?

__________________ Paintrain's Redskins Fandom
1981-2014

I'm not dead but this team is dead to me...but now that McCloughan is here they may have new life!

JC said something last night to Adam Schefter that was purely out of character for him and made me take another look at the past 2 weeks. Schefter asked him if he was concerned about the offense, JC replied with essentially 'Man, we're just ready for the regular season to begin.' If you think about it, it's been almost 7 weeks of practicing and 5 meaningless games, how difficult is it to get mentally 'checked in' for something you know has virtually no meaning?

The goal of most if not all NFL teams is to emerge from the preseason with no major injuries that impact your teams season, we've done that. The Giants lost Osi, the Eagles lost Kevin Curtis, we've been quite fortunate that Taylor should play (at least some) on next Thursday.

It's not excusing the pathetic performance of the offense last week or the 7 plays they had this week, but can we leave the seal on the panic button until at least Week 2?

Good points but I'd leave the panic button in the closet until at least halfway through the season.

Just to elaborate on your post I honestly don't think you can take much stock in the preseason. The focus of playing the games is not to win, it's to evaluate players. Therefore the play calling is different, and there is little game planning.

The Skins have definitely had a long preseason and I think that their focus shifted to the regular season weeks ago.

Do I have my concerns? Sure. But they were concerns that existed before the Panthers game.

Good points but I'd leave the panic button in the closet until at least halfway through the season.

Just to elaborate on your post I honestly don't think you can take much stock in the preseason. The focus of playing the games is not to win, it's to evaluate players. Therefore the play calling is different, and there is little game planning.

The Skins have definitely had a long preseason and I think that their focus shifted to the regular season weeks ago.

Do I have my concerns? Sure. But they were concerns that existed before the Panthers game.

I agree, but I was trying to be realistic about the panicked masses.

__________________ Paintrain's Redskins Fandom
1981-2014

I'm not dead but this team is dead to me...but now that McCloughan is here they may have new life!

Good points but I'd leave the panic button in the closet until at least halfway through the season.

Just to elaborate on your post I honestly don't think you can take much stock in the preseason. The focus of playing the games is not to win, it's to evaluate players. Therefore the play calling is different, and there is little game planning.

The Skins have definitely had a long preseason and I think that their focus shifted to the regular season weeks ago.

Do I have my concerns? Sure. But they were concerns that existed before the Panthers game.

Well if neither team is game planning doesn't that make it a level playing field and just lets the players play football.

Zorn mentioned in last night's press conference that the starters were only on the field for seven drives (if you want to call them that) over the past two games. Can you really gather much from seven drives? True, they looked awful against Carolina, but they came out flat and the Panthers brought their best. I guess I can accept that in preseason. Against the Jaguars, the O-line looked much better in pass protection and Campbell's interception was Devin Thomas's fault. Cooley dropped a pass too. Both were well thrown balls. What I'm most concerned about are Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelley. Despite the extended preseason, we've seen nothing out of either of them. Can Thomas get open? Every time McMullen or Mann caught a pass, I was hoping that it was Devin Thomas, so I could say "Hey, now he's showing something." Are Kelley's knees ever going to be o.k.? Zorn seemed frustrated with either him or his injury situation. Does Kelley want to play football? Is he another Brandon Llloyd? Is Thomas another Taylor Jacobs? How much homework was done on these guys?
Damn, am I panicking??

Zorn mentioned in last night's press conference that the starters were only on the field for seven drives (if you want to call them that) over the past two games. Can you really gather much from seven drives? True, they looked awful against Carolina, but they came out flat and the Panthers brought their best. I guess I can accept that in preseason. Against the Jaguars, the O-line looked much better in pass protection and Campbell's interception was Devin Thomas's fault. Cooley dropped a pass too. Both were well thrown balls. What I'm most concerned about are Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelley. Despite the extended preseason, we've seen nothing out of either of them. Can Thomas get open? Every time McMullen or Mann caught a pass, I was hoping that it was Devin Thomas, so I could say "Hey, now he's showing something." Are Kelley's knees ever going to be o.k.? Zorn seemed frustrated with either him or his injury situation. Does Kelley want to play football? Is he another Brandon Llloyd? Is Thomas another Taylor Jacobs? How much homework was done on these guys?Damn, am I panicking??

Ummm yeah big time.

They're two rookies who didn't even get through a full camp because of injuries, so of course they are behind schedule.

I think the team is catching heat and I think the coaches and players are concerned about their performance...I could be completely wrong but during the last preseason there were TONS of excuses, esp from the coaches regarding their poor performance in the offseason. I remember someone saying that they did not want to open up the playbook during the offseason. However, once the season started, we saw the same crap they had done during the offseason. So I hope this year is a bit better....but well we'll only know after the game next thurs. against the g-men.

Sounds about right- not due to the final two games of the preseason, but due to the Rookie head coach and new system on both sides of the ball. Expecting anything more than 8 wins is extremely optimistic imho.

__________________ "All natural institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."

I do think this is part of the problem--lots of the mistakes out there were mental and effort issues. Now, you never want to see that and obviously Zorn was very upset by it. But that's the kind of thing that can come from the lack of focus after a long camp. In the NFL, it's all about momentum and mindset--I do think they will be better and more fired up next week.

About the playbook: it was vanilla on both sides. And on D they basically exposed their DBs to see how they would handle it (Zorn said as much in his post game presser). It will be better next week.

I have two big worries, though. How much better is better? Will we just be competitive or can we score some points, hit some big plays, and win some games in tight 4th quarters? We have NOT proven that at all and that's not just something you "turn on," at least not for this bunch. You have to develop that by actually winning some games with the teammates and playbook and coaches you have NOW. That's why this season is a question mark, and that's why we need to be patient.

My second worry is related: where are our LEADERS on this team? Where are the guys who will step up and make the game-changing play when it's all on the line? I'm not saying we don't have guys who can do it, but they need to do it with this team and these coaches. We need leaders on the field who can make the play that shifts the momentum in a game. Until I see that on the field from this bunch, I remain concerned.

I'm not panicking by a long shot, but this bunch has to show me something when it counts.

The reason for the preseason is to prepare the team for the regular season and player evaluation. So let's evaluate the 2008 Draft Picks.

WR Devin Thomas - Has shown nothing so far. Players with lesser ability (Maurice Mann, Billy McMullen) are getting open and making catches. He is not getting any separation and when he does get his hands on the ball, he is not catching it. I expect more out of the first pick in the draft.

TE Fred Davis - Looks very good. A very solid player that is making plays on offense and special teams. He is going to help the team right away.

WR Malcolm Kelly - Incomplete. Can't evaluate until I see him play.

OL Chad Rinehart - Good lineman. He will provide much needed depth on the offensive line.

CB Justin Tryon - Undersized and overmatched. He looks like the biggest bust in the 2008 draft.

P Durant Brooks - It's rare that a NFL team will use a draft pick on a punter. It's even worse when that punter might not win the job. If that happens, it's a wasted pick. Coach Zorn hasn't selected his starting punter yet, so I will save my judgment until then. Brooks has looked good in preseason and I prefer that the team keep him.

DB Kareem Moore - I am very impressed with his play. He may eventually be the starter before the year is over.

QB Colt Brennan - All he does is make plays. He does not have the prettiest mechanics but he gets the job done. This was the steal of the draft. Working under coach Zorn, he may develop into a real gem.

DE Rob Jackson - Looks good. Coach Zorn has a tough decision on which defensive ends make the 53 man roster. It's a toss up between Chris Wilson and Rob Jackson. If Rob Jackson is placed on the practice squad, another team will most likely pick him up.

FS Chris Horton - He looks like he will make the 53 man roster. A solid player.